All Week
Strawberry Picking at Hall Family Farm
Strawberry season is here and Hall Family Farm is open for u-pick daily. No admission fee to pick, play on the free playground, or order from Hall's Kitchen. Ticketed activities like the hayride, Kid Zone, and ropes courses are also available.
📍 Hall Family Farm
🕒 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (hot food and activities open 12:30 p.m. on weekdays)
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: Call or text 704-562-4021 before you go. They close u-pick mid-day when berries need time to ripen, and they try to give an hour's notice.
Cost: Free admission, strawberries $4/lb, ticketed activities extra
Check Picking Conditions
Thursday, May 14
Preschool Ballet Classes
Free ballet class for preschoolers at Mallard Creek Rec Center. It's imaginative games and simple steps, not a recital track. And it's free, so if your kid hates it, you're out nothing but 45 minutes.
📍 Mallard Creek Recreation Center, 2530 Johnston Oehler Rd
🕒 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
👶 Best For: Preschoolers (ages 3–6)
💡 Parent Tip: "Twirl, leap, and dance" is the marketing version. The reality is more like controlled chaos with occasional graceful moments. Still fun!
Cost: Free
Worth A Try!
Toddler Time at Big Air
Open jump for the little ones with a calmer, slower-paced vibe than the regular sessions. If your toddler has energy to burn and you've already done every playground in a 10-mile radius, this works.
📍 Big Air Charlotte, 2408 Sardis Road North
🕒 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
👶 Best For: Toddlers (ages ~1–3)
💡 Parent Tip: Grip socks are required!
Cost: $23+
Get Tickets
Storytime in the Park: Squirrel Lake Park
Matthews Library staff does storytime outside with stories, songs, and movement activities. Same format as last week, same great park for running around after.
📍 Squirrel Lake Park, 1631 Pleasant Plains Rd, Matthews
🕒 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: Bring something to sit on. Storytime will be cancelled if the weather doesn't cooperate. Call 704-416-5000 ext. 2 if you're unsure.
Cost: Free
See Details
KiddieCade Happy Hour
Two hours of supervised play for $35 while you sit in actual lounge seating with a real cup of coffee and catch up on emails. High-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations, open-concept layout so you can see your kid the whole time.
📍 The Kiddie Cade
🕒 1-3 PM
👶 Best For: Ages 2 and up
💡 Parent Tip: Book ahead. This is not a walk-in situation and Thursday slots fill fast. (Note: listed as a Thursday recurring event; confirm current Friday availability at the link.)
Cost: $35 for a 2-hour visit
Reserve Your Spot
SouthPark After 5
This week's lineup is Landslide (a Fleetwood Mac tribute band) with Square Roots, plus a free bubble station, slime bar, and kids' activities on site. It's one of the last few weeks of this spring series, so if you haven't made it yet, Thursday is your night.
📍 Symphony Park, 4400 Sharon Road, Charlotte
🕒 5-9pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Outside food is welcome; outside drinks are not (ABC law). Grab dinner from the food trucks and bring a blanket or camp chairs. Stroller-friendly paved paths throughout the park.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Friday, May 15
Learning for Littles
A free 45-minute outdoor nature program for toddlers and their grown-ups: read-aloud story, puppets, and a hands-on activity at the Trailhead Store picnic area. No registration. Just show up.
📍 Daniel Stowe Conservancy
🕒 9 - 9:45am.
👶 Best For: Ages 0 - 4
💡 Parent Tip: Get there a few minutes early to snag a spot near the action. If it's pouring, they move it onto the Trailhead Store porch instead of canceling..
Cost: Free
Register Here
Betty Bookworms: Storytime + Coffee
Weekly storytime at Betty on Thomas Ave. Kids get books and songs, you get coffee. Honestly the coffee is the main draw.
📍 Betty by Moxie Mercantile, 1219 Thomas Ave
🕒 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
👶 Best For: Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers
💡 Parent Tip: Get your coffee first, then settle in. It's a much better experience caffeinated.
Cost: Free
Check It Out
Splash About and Explore
A free water playgroup for babies and preschoolers at Charlotte Aquatics with purposeful play stations in the water including floating toys, bubble activities, gentle slides, and pour-and-play sensory bins. This runs every Friday through the rest of 2026, so if this week doesn't work, bookmark it.
📍 Charlotte Aquatics, 7835 Little Avenue
🕒 10 to 10:30 AM
👶 Best For: 6 months to 5 years
💡 Parent Tip: Registration is required and space is limited. Do not assume you can just show up. Book it in advance like you would any class.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Free Breastfeeding Support Group
A free group for postpartum breastfeeding moms led by a licensed therapist from Charlotte Parent Therapy. Babies are welcome, toddlers have to stay home, and you can ask the questions you've been Googling at 3 a.m.
📍 New Mom School Ballantyne
🕒 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
👶 Best For: Breastfeeding moms
💡 Parent Tip: Space is limited, so register before you forget.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Postpartum Adjustment Support Group
A free support group for postpartum moms led by Tara Eschenbach, a licensed therapist and owner of Charlotte Parent Therapy. An hour to talk honestly about what the transition actually looks like, with someone in the room who knows how to help. No agenda, no performance -- just other moms and a real conversation.
📍 New Mom School Ballantyne, 14825 Ballantyne Village Way, Suite 250
🕒 12-1pm
👶 Best For: Postpartum moms
💡 Parent Tip: Babies are welcome. Register now before you mean to and forget -- space is limited.
Cost: Free
Register Here
Strawberry Picking
Hunter Farm is officially open for the season! Strawberry picking, wagon rides, petting barn, concessions, and a market barn. Farm Fridays include live music and food trucks starting April 17.
📍 Hunter Farm, Weddington
🕒 Fridays 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
👶 Best For: all ages
💡 Parent Tip: Walk-ins are welcome when space allows, but turn on notifications so you know when weekday picking opens up. Kids under 2 ride free; everyone else needs a ticket for the wagon ride.
Cost: Free admission, $14/person for wagon ride to petting barn
Plan Your Visit
Saturday, May 16
Chantilly Neighborhood Yard Sale
The Chantilly neighborhood is doing a community-wide sale Saturday morning. Great for stroller gear, books, outdoor toys, and whatever else neighbors have decided they're done storing.
📍 Chantilly neighborhood, Charlotte
🕒 8am-12pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Go early for the good stuff. Bring cash and a tote bag. Toddlers make surprisingly enthusiastic yard sale companions.
Cost: Free
See Details
Cartoons and Coffee: Batman vs. TMNT
The third Saturday of the month, Rea Farms projects a kids' movie on their video wall while you drink your coffee. This month it's Batman vs. TMNT. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs -- it starts at 8:30 so there's still time to get home before the heat kicks in.
📍 Rea Farms, 9855 Sandy Rock Place
🕒 8:30am
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: This series runs every third Saturday through August, so if you miss this one, put the rest on your calendar now. Free is free.
Cost: Free
Plan Your Visit
Spring Horse Show
The Greenway's spring horse show draws the local equestrian community for more than 30 competition categories. Spectators are welcome to drop in for any part of it, and it's a genuinely cool thing to show a kid who has never watched horses compete up close.
📍 Anne Springs Close Greenway
🕒 9am-5pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Bring your own seating -- bleachers are limited. The Greenway Canteen will be on-site with food, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks. Greenway admission applies.
Cost: Greenway admission required
Check It Out
Cheerwine Festival
Salisbury's annual tribute to their 100-plus-year-old hometown soda takes over downtown with live music, a free fun zone (rock climbing wall, gyroscope), food trucks, Cheerwine-inspired food and drinks, local vendors, and history tours. It's a haul from Charlotte but Salisbury's downtown is walkable and underrated.
📍 Downtown Salisbury, NC
🕒 10am-7pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Get there by 10 or 11 before the crowds build and the heat peaks. If the kids are good walkers, the downtown loop is easy. There are two beer gardens for when you need a moment.
Cost: Free
Get Details
Arts in the Park
Art vendors, food trucks, live entertainment, and an all-day kids' art show at Pineville Lake Park. The performance lineup includes a Piedmont Music Therapy interactive set and a dance team -- it's not just background noise.
📍 Pineville Lake Park
🕒 10am-5pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: The music therapy set at 11am is genuinely interactive for little ones -- worth timing your arrival around it. The rest of the day you can wander at your own pace.
Cost: Free
Learn More
Flower Truck Pop-Up at The Bowl
Bentley's Buds parks outside Flower Child at The Bowl at Ballantyne every Saturday this spring. Build a custom bouquet on the spot.
📍 The Bowl at Ballantyne, Mid Street next to Flower Child, Charlotte
🕒 10:30am-3pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: The location is right next to brunch spots so you can make a full morning out of it.
Cost: Free to attend; bouquets priced separately
Learn More
Saturday Morning Cartoons at Independent Picture House
IPH does free cartoons once a month -- a mix of familiar and not-so-familiar picks -- with milk and cookies for kids and coffee for adults. No tickets required, but RSVP if you can so they know how many cookies to bake.
📍 Independent Picture House, 4237 Raleigh Street
🕒 10:30am
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: First come, first served on seating, so show up a few minutes early. RSVP costs nothing and helps with the cookie math.
Cost: Free
RSVP Here
Open Studio Time at KidCreate
Drop-in style art class with four stations stocked and ready. Kids pick their projects, make the mess, and you don't have to clean anything up. Caregivers must stay for the full session.
📍 KidCreate Studio South Charlotte, 16709 Orchard Stone Run, Suite 310
🕒 11am-1pm
👶 Best For: Ages 2-13
💡 Parent Tip: Pre-registration is required -- don't just show up. Family membership holders get in free, so if you're planning to come more than once this summer, the math adds up fast.
Cost: $15 (free for family membership holders)
Register Here
St. Philip Neri Italian Festival
Fort Mill's Italian Festival is back for its 29th year. The food is the reason to go -- homemade lasagna, baked ziti, eggplant parmesan, hand-rolled meatballs, and Italian sausage made on-site. The full Fun Zone (inflatables, games, face painting, sand art) opens Friday at 5pm and runs through Saturday at 8pm.
📍 Saint Philip Neri Church, Fort Mill
🕒 11am-10pm (Fun Zone through 8pm)
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Grab a strip of activity tickets when you arrive so you're not tracking down the ticket booth every time your kid spots something new. Waivers are required for the obstacle course and Noah's Ark Toddler Town inflatable -- you can usually sign on-site.
Cost: Free to attend; food and activities priced separately
Reserve Your Spot
Sunday, May 17
Little Free Library Day
May 17 is National Little Free Library Day, kicking off a full week of celebrations through May 23. The move: find a Little Free Library near you, take a book, leave a book. There are more boxes in Charlotte neighborhoods than most people realize.
📍 Little Free Libraries throughout Charlotte
🕒 All day
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Use the free Little Free Library app to find boxes near you before you head out. Makes a solid low-key Sunday walk with a toddler who likes to feel helpful.
Cost: Free
See How to Participate
Japan Fest at Urban District Market
UDM is hosting Japan Fest with matsuri games, martial arts performances, Japanese food and drinks, origami, traditional yukata try-ons, anime, gashapon, a cosplay contest, and karaoke. A lot going on in one place.
📍 Urban District Market, Charlotte
🕒 12-9pm
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Origami stations and yukata try-ons are genuinely great for curious toddlers. Go earlier in the afternoon -- the cosplay and karaoke crowds come out later.
Cost: Free
Plan Your Visit
Charlotte Knights Princess Day vs. Norfolk Tides
Ten princesses at a baseball game, make-your-own crowns on the concourse, themed food (Tiana's Beignets, Ariel's Fish Sandwich, Merida's Turkey Leg, Snow White's Apple), and everyone -- everyone -- runs the bases after the final out. This is a very good Sunday afternoon.
📍 Truist Field, Uptown Charlotte
🕒 1:05pm
👶 Best For: Toddlers and up, especially princess fans
💡 Parent Tip: The bases run happens after the game, so plan to stay through the end. Buy tickets in advance -- Princess Day games tend to sell.
Cost: Tickets required
Get Tickets
Camden Commons Street Festival
Camden Road in South End shuts down for a full street festival: small businesses to shop, a live DJ, a Dog Zone, a craft zone, a reading zone with DIY bookmarks, and lawn games (Cornhole, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4). You can carry a drink around the whole event, which is the detail I need you to know.
📍 Camden Road, South End, Charlotte
🕒 All day
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: South End is walkable from here - build in time to browse the neighborhood after the festival winds down. The reading zone with DIY bookmarks is a solid toddler pit stop.
Cost: Free
See Details
Monday, May 18
Baby and Me Yoga
Prenatal, postnatal, and beyond yoga class where baby comes with you. Relaxed format with community time, meditation, and a slow strengthening flow. Feeding and diaper changes welcome mid-class.
📍 Palestra Spa
🕒 10:45 - 11:45 AM
👶 Best For: Babies and their caregivers
💡 Parent Tip: Pricing is not listed online. Check the link before you go so there are no surprises at the door. I have a question out to the owners and will update pricing if/when I hear back.
Cost: TBD
Check It Out
Tuesday, May 19
Babies on the Boardwalk
A library-hosted walking group for new parents on the UC boardwalk. The point is fresh air, light movement, and adult conversation with other people who get it. Stroller-friendly by definition.
📍 University City Regional Library
🕒 2 to 3 pm
👶 Best For: Babies and their grownups
💡 Parent Tip: If you're running late, just meet the group on the boardwalk. Weather permitting, so check the forecast before you load up.
Cost: Free
More Info
Wednesday, May 20
Learning for Littles
A free 45-minute outdoor nature program for toddlers and their grown-ups: read-aloud story, puppets, and a hands-on activity at the Trailhead Store picnic area. No registration. Just show up.
📍 Daniel Stowe Conservancy
🕒 9 - 9:45am.
👶 Best For: Ages 0 - 4
💡 Parent Tip: Get there a few minutes early to snag a spot near the action. If it's pouring, they move it onto the Trailhead Store porch instead of canceling..
Cost: Free
Register Here
Little Learners
A short nature activity for little ones at the Wildwoods area of Whitewater Center. The class itself is solid, but the real win is using it as an excuse to explore Wildwoods after.
📍 Wildwoods at Whitewater Center
🕒 10:00 a.m.
👶 Best For: ages 1–5
💡 Parent Tip: Bring shoes they can get dirty. You'll end up in mud, guaranteed.
Cost: $5/child, adults free (included with some passes)
Register Here
Birkdale Buds
Weekly preschool play series kicks off for the season. This week: bubble play, glitter tattoos, snacks & crafts, and an animal rescue pop-up! Free, no registration, just show up.
📍 Birkdale Village, The Plaza
🕒 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
👶 Best For: preschool age
💡 Parent Tip: Crafts and activities are while supplies last, so earlier is better. Parking is available near Regal, Dick's, and Midwood Smokehouse.
Cost: Free
Show Up
Wednesday Night Live
Free admission and live programming across the Mint Museum, Bechtler, Gantt Center, and Knight Theater every Wednesday through the season. Programming rotates each week.
📍 Levine Center for the Arts
🕒 5-9 PM
👶 Best For: All ages
💡 Parent Tip: Takes five seconds to look up this week's specific programming. Some weeks lean kid-friendly, others do not. Worth knowing before you load everyone in the car.
Cost: Free
Learn More
